AMC Theatres' Dune: Part Three popcorn buckets add a second sandworm hole

US cinema chain AMC Theatres is preparing to sell two themed, collectible popcorn buckets for the release of the science-fiction film Dune: Part Three. They are called the "Sandworm Thumper" and the "Double Sandworm," and both have a hand hole shaped like a worm. The Double version, as the name suggests, has two holes. Collectible buckets have become a regular part of the cinema offering since the pandemic, helping the industry recover.

What came before

Two years ago, a popcorn bucket made for Dune: Part Two, shaped like a sandworm, went viral online. In a post published on 29 October, AMC Theatres said the new collectibles, including AMC-exclusive items, will be available on 17 December, when the film is released.

The reviewer's view

The author at tech publication Engadget is critical of the second hole. In the writer's view, it solves one problem of the earlier bucket by letting two people reach for popcorn at once, but it also underlines the sexual innuendo that many people saw in the first design. The author considers the idea uninspired.

The writer cites examples he considers more successful: a handbag-shaped bucket for The Devil Wears Prada 2, a Trojan Horse bucket for The Odyssey, and the wearable "Guile Hair" bucket sold alongside Street Fighter. Even so, he argues, these are exceptions. He also criticises a $35 bucket featuring a lumpy hand and the word "Clayface" on its side.

The writer suggests the original sandworm bucket may have caught on because its creators apparently did not anticipate the associations people would make. In his view, later buckets are worse for lacking that childlike naivete.